Little Talks
by The Forgotten Nobody
Summary: When Peter gets his powers he turns to his Aunt Tasha. Superfamily.


Peter honestly didn't mean to get freaky super-spider powers. It's not his fault he was just a bit curious about his biological father. Perhaps if his parents had actually decided to tell him stuff about him other than '_he was a good man'_ and _'a brilliant scientist – just not as good as me'_, then maybe he wouldn't have gone snooping and accidently stuck in a room with a bunch of genetically modified spiders.

It was no secret that Peter's parents never wanted their only son to follow in the family business. Though the press knew the most famous superhero couple in the world had a son, the most they knew about Peter was what the back of his head looked like when he was eight. So desperate to give Peter as normal a childhood as possible, they had gone to extreme lengths to ensure the public knew little to nothing to Peter.

It's for this reason that Peter knows he can't go to his parents about this, at least, not right away. It would be like a slap in the face. Hey, you know your son you wanted to grow up to have a nice little job in science, well, he's got super powers now! And you know with great power comes great responsibility so when can I join the Avengers? No, that would not go down well at all.

There was always Uncle Bruce he could go to. He might find out what had actually happened to Peter, but a small part of him worried that he also might find a way to remove it. Though Peter knew that having powers came with a shit load of trouble and responsibility, a well hidden dream of his was to eventually go into the same business as his parents. Sure, it could be painful and scary (he knew first hand) but Peter loved the idea of being to help and make a difference. He didn't want to give up the sudden powers that might make that possible.

Uncle Clint was great at keeping secrets, but only up to a certain limit. Peter was pretty sure that this particular secret would cross that limit and would probably go straight to his parents, revealing his powers in a way that would not end best for Peter. Uncle Thor was back in Asgard, so that ruled him out too.

That left Aunt Tasha and really, the name Black Widow kind of proved she was the best person to go to in this situation. Peter knew she would listen to everything he had to say before giving him the best advice she could offer. Unless his life was being threatened in that very moment, she wouldn't go running to his parents immediately. She was someone he could trust to listen to him.

Fortunately, she wasn't out on a mission and Peter managed to catch her alone when she was training. Peter had always preferred watching Aunt Tasha train more than anyone else. Unlike the others, her fighting was based off her agility and utilising the best of each body part rather than strength or weapons. He spent a couple of minutes watching her until she took a brief rest and noticed him.

"Peter? Are you alright?"

Now that he was presented with the opportunity to get his secret off his best, Peter found himself struggling for words. What did he say? Oh, nothing big, just got some freaky spider powers and you were the only one I felt comfortable telling.

"Peter?" Aunt Tasha's voice had grown concerned and Peter knew he had to say something before she did go get his parents, entirely defeating the purpose of his visit.

"Hey, I was, uh, hoping I could talk to you about something? Something private and that I would really appreciate my parents not knowing, at least not straight away."

Aunt Tasha's eyes widened slightly. "Is this about a girl, because-"

"No!" Peter interrupted, his cheeks already beginning to heat at the unbidden thought of Gwen. "No, something else, it's, um-"

Aunt Tasha seemed to take pity on him for she said, "Why don't I wash up and we sit down."

Peter gave a relieved sigh. "Yeah, sounds good."

Knee bouncing, Peter waited for Aunt Tasha to clean up before they made their way to her floor of the tower. She made them both a mug of hot coco which Peter took gratefully before sitting opposite him.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" She asked, blowing gently on her drink.

"I'm not really sure where to start," Peter admitted.

"Just go from the beginning," Aunt Tasha advised and so Peter did. He started from how he snuck into Oscorp, going on to explain how he'd been bitten by one of the radioactive spiders and finishing with how he'd woken up the next morning with his powers.

"I know Dad and Pa don't want me to go into the superhero business but I don't want to get rid of my powers, you know? If I can help people with the stuff I can do then shouldn't I?" Peter ended. Throughout it all, Aunt Tasha had remained stoic, making no reaction bigger than a raised eyebrow, and it was both a blessing and a curse. It meant that she was still calm, but he didn't know what her response was going to be.

The silence continued and Peter found his knee bouncing once more, teeth biting his lip as he waited for her to respond. Eventually, she did.

"This could only happen to you, couldn't it," she said and the warmth in her tone immediately made Peter relax. "You shouldn't have snuck into Oscorp though Peter," she reprimanded. "Why did you not just ask your parents about the papers you found?"

Peter huffed. "They never give me a good answer! It's always 'they were good people'. And you know how much Dad hates Oscorp. He always goes off on one when he hears the name! I know I shouldn't have gone but I didn't know any other way. I just wanted to know where I came from…do you get that?"

To anyone else, it would have been unnoticeable, but Peter managed to catch the slight decline in Aunt Tasha's shoulders and the softness that entered her eyes.

"I understand your curiosity. Your parents must have thought they were protecting you by withholding the information." Peter scoffed but Aunt Tasha ignored him and carried on. "And while I am glad you came to me, I believe this is a conversation you should be having with them."

Peter instinctively ducked his head. "They won't be happy, they'll want to get rid of my powers!"

Aunt Tasha's lips quirked. "While they may consider it, I doubt they would get very far. You have your father's stubborn streak. No, I don't believe attempting to remove your new abilities would be the best course of action. Instead, they must be honed. After you speak with your fathers we will begin training. An hour every week day and two to three during weekends."

Peter paled. With Aunt Tasha being his favourite to watch during sparring, he knew she was merciless. He could already feel the bruises forming on his body.

Aunt Tasha must have guessed his thoughts because she smirked slightly. "You will not be going into battle untrained Peter. If you choose this then you can be sure I, along with your parents and Uncles, are going to make sure you are as safe as possible."

"Then I really don't think speaking to my dad's is a good idea," Peter weakly joked but Aunt Tasha only raised an eyebrow.

"The longer you leave it the worse the conversation will be," she said and Peter sighed, knowing she was right.

"Ok, I'll go now. Could you, you know, be ready to come in? Talk to them after?"

To his relief, Aunt Tasha nodded. Peter finished the last of his drink and stood up.

"Thanks, and thanks for talking to me."

"You are quite welcome," she replied, grabbing both mugs but before she could put them by the sink she was tackled in a hug from Peter. Face pressed against her shoulder, Peter heard her place the mugs back down and she wrapped her own arms around him. Peter felt her press a kiss against his head and he smiled. Even though he was still dreading talking to his dads, he was really glad he'd gone to Aunt Tasha first.


End file.
